Today’s Readings:
2 Corinthians 2:12 Now
when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that
the Lord had opened a door for me.
Quite
frequently, I get asked to say prayers for church members, families, and
friends when they are considering changing jobs, careers, or homes. It’s very
humbling to be asked because it means that the person making the request trusts
me to pray for what’s best in their situation. Usually, I take time out that
day to say a short prayer and then on the day of an interview or a house
viewing, I pray as close as possible to the time of the event itself.
Sometimes
the person comes back to me with good news, so I can say a quiet ‘thank you,
God’ prayer later on. At other times, I hear nothing else, so I keep praying
for God to give guidance and open up the right door for the person.
I
guess that most of us do the same, especially for our loved ones and dearest of
friends. As we pray, we hope that God will indeed open doors and grant new
opportunities for the person concerned. Prayer becomes a vehicle of God’s
goodness, as well strengthening the bonds of faith and friendship between the
one who prays and the other who is prayed for. It’s a remarkably effective and
personal way to both practice and apply our faith on behalf of other people.
Questions for personal reflection
Has someone
asked me to pray for them? Is there someone that I can be praying for today?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You taught us to pray
and showed us the value of being a praying people of God. Help us to make time
today to pray for others, especially those who are looking for new doors of
opportunity to be opened for them. In Your Holy Name, we humbly and cheerfully
pray. Amen.
John
Stuart is the pastor of Erin
Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to ask a
question or make a comment about today’s message, please send him an email to traqair@aol.com.
Today’s
image is one of John’s lighthouse drawings called “Guiding Light.” If you would
like to view a larger version, please click on the following link: http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6225/6290707518_a96fd3c801_b.jpg
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